Scott Blum’s Alloy Success Story
I’ve always been athletic and enjoyed sports, but I hated exercise and going to the gym. In my mid to late 30s, I slid down a long, dark slope of chronic fatigue and then exercise intolerance. My first real wake-up call happened on vacation when I took a windsurfer out into the ocean and quickly discovered that I no longer had the strength and endurance to operate it. It was a miracle I managed to get it back to dry land that day and, as I lay on the beach, collapsed from exhaustion, I wondered “Is this it? Will I never be strong again?”
I knew then that I had a real problem, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I exercised sporadically, but it was difficult and unrewarding — even debilitating. After any strenuous activity, I felt terrible; I had to lie down and take a nap, and then would be essentially useless the rest of the day.
I walked into Alloy just before turning 40, and have to admit I was skeptical — even mentally prepared to fail. I felt physically broken and thought I’d either make no progress or get hurt trying. But, the trainers at Alloy are very smart and conscious of my individual needs and limitations. My mental image of a personal trainer used to be some military-style guy yelling at me while I try to force one more rep on a weight I shouldn’t even be handling. Thankfully, Alloy trainers are the opposite of that! Somehow, they managed to guide me through an incredible amount of progress without injury and without pushing myself to the point of collapse.
In 90 days
In three months at Alloy, I gained 8 pounds, while reducing my body fat to 11%. My wife (also an Alloy member) can’t get over how “big” I look compared to how skinny I was before. I first realized how much progress I’ve made the day I blindly picked up my water bottle and thought (based on the heft) it must be more than half empty, only to discover that it was, in fact, nearly full. I marvel at how light it feels now! That may seem small, but it’s a big deal to me.
Now, I can get through my workouts without feeling completely exhausted, and I have much more energy for day-to-day life (even on days I work out!). I never expected to improve my endurance and conditioning this much without hours a week of agonizing cardio. I used to hate going to the gym, but now I actually look forward to going to Alloy, especially days I’m going to be working with a trainer. I know that someday soon I’m going to take a windsurfer out into the ocean!
